Ecowas In The Last Three Decades: Challenges To Economic Integration

Economic co-operation at the regional and sub-regional level has been an important feature ofthe economic development policies of developing countries. The Economic Community of WestAfrican States (ECOWAS) was established in1975with a view to promote economic co-operation and integration in West Africa. The creation marked the successful outcome ofprotracted negotiations that had began shortly after independence, which reflected the mountingsense of unease in Africa and throughout the third world that political independence did notsignify effective control of the new states of their economies, The reality was, majority of themwere either too small or too poor to make any reasonable impact in the emerging internationalpolitical economy, hence the need for a platform on which all the countries of the region can pulltheir economics together to form a collective front for the benefit of all. But almost four decadesafter the ECOWAS treaty was signed by member states, the desired economic gains fromintegrating their economies is still far from being achieved as the integrating process has taken avery slow pace.Findings by this research revealed two broad interwoven factors responsible for the slow pace ofeconomic integration in ECOWAS, economic and political factors. It was discovered that weakcommitment by the three major and largest economies (NIGERIA, GHANA AND COTED’IVOIRE) which accounts for almost70%of the total ECOWAS population and contributesabout80%of it GDP, In implementing ECOWAS policies and protocols has led to tradeprotectionism and setting up of trade barriers leading to very low trade among them. This is sobecause their economies are competitive rather than complimentary. Political factors considered to have had a great effect include instability in the polity occasionedby civil wars and unrest in West Africa, weak political institutions, national policies, overlappingmembership as well as failure of the three major economies to provide the needed leadership.If the major economics in ECOWAS are committed to implementing the stated policies andprotocols, then the region will be on the fast lane towards achieving economic integration.